episode_0182

A world of darkness where deep darkness has settled.

There, somewhere, was a cave extending deep underground.

This large cave is none other than the 2nd Corps Commander, commanded by the battle-mad Lycan.

Deep inside the cave, roars boiling with murderous intent filled the place.

A huge, circular space that appears when you follow the roaring sound.

There, countless demons and devils were waving their flags and cheering.

A being looking down on them from the throne. A giant monster with the face of a lion.

As the 2nd Corps Commander Lycan waved his hand widely, the eardrum-piercing roaring was instantly silenced.

“We are bloodthirsty.”

He stood up from his seat, his eyes glaring intensely, and shouted in a loud voice, his voice intimidating.

“There is only one reason for our existence! Isn’t it for an intense fight where flesh bursts and bones shatter!”

“Wooo!”

“However, the devil took away our only joy.”

Lycan growled quietly as the crowd roared.

“I closed the gates of the demon world so that I could never fight again. I was distracted by some human woman.”

At his words, the atmosphere instantly became cold.

All of the demons looked at Lycan with angry expressions.

Lycan continued speaking, his face scrunched up.

“The one who reigns over us now is not the Demon King we knew before!!”

The Lycan slammed his fist into the ground with a huge grin on his face, and the ground began to shake violently as if an earthquake had occurred.

“I will reign over the Demon King and give you endless slaughter.”

At the end of his speech, the atmosphere reached its climax, and a huge roar was heard, as if a bomb had exploded.

“The tightly closed gates of the Demon World…can be opened again if the Demon King’s life is at stake.”

Lycan spits out his last words and steps back with a satisfied expression on his face.

As he walked further into the cave, he came across a lich wearing a black cloak who was waiting for him.

[Kuhuhu.. That was a touching speech, Lycan.]

The giant lion snorted at his words and raised an eyebrow.

“It was unexpected. You, a coward, are joining our plan.”

[I’m saying this because there’s something I really want.]

Lycan squinted his eyes as he watched Melum’s mouth gape open in a grotesque manner.

“Come to think of it. Did you ask for that woman?”

[Okay, that will do. You can sit in the Demon King’s seat as much as you want.]

“How pathetic. Are you even interested in a woman?”

Even amidst Lycan’s sarcasm, Melum simply smiled.

[I’m sorry for showing you such a pitiful appearance.]

“You woman. Do it yourself.”

Leaving those words behind, Lycan walked forward again with confident steps.

‘Idiot. You don’t even know what value that woman holds. It’s convenient, though. Hehe..’

Looking forward to the day when the ultimate material, never seen before, comes to his laboratory.

Melum disappeared from the scene in a desolate manner.

*

Is this a dream?

If so, I never wanted to break it.

“Hera.”

Athena’s voice tickled my heart more than ever.

His body began to tremble with longing, and tears began to well up in his eyes.

“Ah..Athena..”

“I came to save you.”

Athena held out her hand, looking at me with an expression I couldn’t read, but with eyes that clearly held something intense.

And I, of course, ran towards her without a single moment of hesitation.

And just like that, I came into Athena’s arms.

Athena also embraced me kindly.

“How did you get into the Demon World..? I’m sure the Demon King said he closed all the doors..!”

He spoke to Athena in a voice trembling with emotion.

“Hera. Do you really think I won’t be able to find you because of something like that?”

Athena smiles gently and pats my head.

At the touch of her hand that I had missed so desperately, another tear rolled down my cheek.

“Ugh…..Athena…..I..I..was so scared..”

My heart, which I thought was endlessly falling apart and dying.

My eyes were left with no choice but to give up, unable to find even an inch of hope.

When I saw her, I started running wildly again as if it was a lie.

“…..Hera.”

“Uh…yeah!”

Let’s look up at Athena and hug her tightly as if we will never let her go.

“What’s that horn?”

She was looking down at me with incredibly cold eyes.

thud-

Her words made my heart drop to the floor.

I took a step back with creaking steps and looked at Athena.

“Ah…Athena….That…That’s…”

“You’ve ended up on the side of the demons?”

I touched my head with my eyes shaking violently. I didn’t want to believe it.

So I felt my horns, which had grown firmly, and which I had tried to forget.

“Ah..no, this is..the..demon king did it by force!”

“You should have held on.”

“Huh…?”

One more step. As I stepped back from her, Athena looked at me with what seemed to be an angry look on her face.

“Until I come to save you. You had to hold on somehow.”

“I…can’t…hold…it…up..”

“If you become a demon…what on earth do you want me to do?”

“Ah..Athena…”

As Athena held out her hand, the fiery flame transformed into the shape of a sword and settled into her hand.

And without a moment’s hesitation, Athena held out the sword to me.

“I’m sorry, Hera. I really don’t want to do this either.”

“Ah..Athena…”

“I met you. It made me reflect on a lot of things.”

Athena continued speaking with eyes that were sad yet extremely serious.

“Thanks to you, I realized what a terrible person I’ve been. How selfish of a person I’ve been. Hera.”

The flame of Athena, which was usually so gentle, seemed to be burning fiercely now.

“I messed up so badly. And now I have people to protect. And I will definitely keep the promise I made to you.”

– I will kill all the demons.

What Athena had said before repeated itself in my head.

“Ah….”

My heart, which had been flying high in anticipation, crashed to the ground and was shattered into pieces.

There were no more tears to shed. The corners of her eyes were just stinging and bitter.

I didn’t want to die like this.

After going through that pain, I had the opportunity to meet Athena.

To think that I should die by her hands like that.

There has never been a joke this bad.

But I forced myself to suppress those feelings that were about to burst out. I knelt on the floor and closed my trembling eyes.

“Why did you betray humanity? ”

Athena spoke in a cold voice.

‘are you okay.’

I calmed my trembling body as I thought to myself.

It’s not Athena’s fault.

It was none other than me who asked Athena to stop the demons.

Athena was just trying to keep her promise to me.

‘So it’s okay.’

Besides, from the moment she handed me her sword, there was no reason to live anymore.

It was a death I had been wishing for ever since I became a demon.

This is liberation.

It was a salvation and a kind heart that Athena gave me.

So it was okay.

so…

“Okay…okay. Ugh…”

I found myself crying without realizing it.

I thought it had all dried up, but it seems there were still tears left.

I was so overcome with sadness that I couldn’t help but bow my head and hide the tears that were welling up in my eyes.

‘I don’t want to die.’

I don’t want to leave Marie alone yet.

I also want to spend a little more time with Lily and Dania.

Iris and Ariel also want to enjoy their academy life more.

Sling.

At that moment, a sharp blade of sunlight was thrust out in front of my neck.

Blood began to flow from my neck, accompanied by a stinging pain.

I raised my head. Athena was looking down at me with complicated eyes.

“….I’m sorry Hera.”

I couldn’t say anything.

Because if I opened my mouth like that, it was clear that only weak sounds would come out.

So I kept my mouth shut and looked at her.

And with all his might, he smiled at her as if to say that it was okay.

And just like that.

With the terrible sensation of death creeping over the body.

Athena’s sword pierced my neck.

“Haaak!!”

I jumped out of bed, wrapping my hands around my neck.

As I looked around with trembling eyes, a familiar bedroom came into view.

I slowly pulled my hand away. I realized that my neck was still attached to my body.

Cold sweat ran down my back along with my heavy breathing.

“I..I definitely…”

Normally, I would have just dismissed it as a dream.

I could tell instinctively.

It wasn’t a dream.

The alien sensation of my throat being cut and the terrible pain of death washing over my brain were too vivid to be a dream.

“What is this…”

Kwaaang-!

Then a huge explosion is heard outside the room.

For some reason, I ran out of the room at the sound that felt familiar.

– Kkaaaak!!

I began to hear a scream that I had heard before.

I followed the sound, catching my trembling breath.

“This…this is…”

“I came to save you, Hera.”

Athena, who had just cut off my neck, was looking at me intensely.